English Beat, One Drop, Air Supply Make a December to Remember at Cave

Timothy B. Schmit of the Eagles opened the month in rocking style, Australian rock duo Air Supply closes it. Truly it will truly be a December to remember at The Cave Big Bear.

In between there’s the the English Beat, One Drop, and killer tributes to Pink Floyd and the late Tom Petty. Plus Winter Kickoff Party with Warren Miller movie “Line of Descent” on December 22.

THE ENGLISH BEAT continues the rocking month on Friday, Dec. 8. The band’s version of “Tears of a Clown” is legendary and The Beat still pounds with covers of the Staple Singers classic “I’ll Take You There.” “Mirror in the Bathroom,” “Can’t Get Used to Losing You,” “Hands Off, She’s Mine” and many more hits have made the touring band a favorite with fans by blending multiple styles, like ska, pop, soul, reggae and punk. The band’s hit “Save it For Later” was covered by both Pete Townshend and Pearl Jam. Tickets $25-$35.

ONE DROP brings its unique classic roots reggae sound back to The Cave Dec. 9, with a calculated blend of R&B, pop and rock mixed in. The San Diego-based band’s album Black Book Diaries debuted at #2 on iTunes reggae charts and landed on Billboard’s Top 10 list, featuring a cool cover of Men at Work’s “Down Under.”

Debut CD Mission Blvd. with hits like “little Black Dress,” “She’s Gone” and “No Good Reason” continues to rank high on reggae charts worldwide. One Drop has toured heavily throughout the country and around the world with its high energy, playful show and has shared the stage with Steel Pulse, Ben Harper, The English Beat, Slightly Stoopid, Iration, Tribal Seeds and many others. Tickets start at $15.

PINK FLOYD TRIBUTE on Dec. 16 is presented by Which One’s Pink, one of AXS-TV’s “World’s Greatest Tribute Bands.” Watch the band’s videos on You Tube and it’s easy to see why as they replicate Pink Floyd classics like “Another Brick in the Wall,” “Wish You Were Here,” “Money” and “Comfortably Numb.”

The band has been together since 1997 and strives to play Floyd songs note-for-note, a real task that takes nine performers to pull off. The sound is nearly album like with all the favorites including “Breathe” and “Time.” The Cave’s special effects—state-of-the-art lighting and sound systems, lasers, fog machines, even “snow” periodically falling—really add to the show. Tickets start at $20

The recent passing of TOM PETTY makes The Cave’s Dec. 23 show all the more poignant. The PettyBreakers have been playing the late musician’s endless hits for over eight years, earning a reputation as the country’s top tribute to Petty and his band the Heartbreakers. That’s saying something, for Petty defined rock and roll for four decades, tallying an incredible ten #1 hits and 28 overall in the Top Ten. The PettyBreakers replicate all the hits songs, from “Refugee,” “Here Comes My Girl” and “Runnin’ Down a Dream” to “Free Fallin’ ” and “Don’t Come Around Here No More.”

Even “Handle With Care” from Petty’s Traveling Wilburys days. All the band members have played and recorded with international artists and their performance on AXS-TV’s “The World’s Greatest Tribute Bands” rocked. Tickets start at $18.

AIR SUPPLY on Dec. 30 see the iconic Australian soft rock duo in Big Bear for the first time. Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock backed by a variety of musicians through the years have had a string of hit songs worldwide including eight Top Ten hits in the United States. “Two Less Lonely People in the World” is a megahit along with “Sweet Dreams” and “Making Love Out of Nothing at All.”

Other favorites include “Even the Nights are Better,” “The One That You Love,” “Without You” and “Every Woman in the World” among others. “Dance With Me” from the 2010 album Mumbo Jumbo showed the pair still have it and Air Supply continues to tour worldwide, just returning from an Asian trip with stops in China, Japan and Indonesia.

In 2005 over 175,000 people crammed in to see Air Supply in Cuba. The Cave will be infinitely more intimate with tickets starting at $95.